


Crestfallen

by TremblingHandsWriting



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, Writer's Block
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 14:37:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19792963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TremblingHandsWriting/pseuds/TremblingHandsWriting
Summary: Cupcakes can be fucking petty. Like guys. Guys are petty as heck. Junmyeon is okay with petty stuff, but petty guys? Ugh.





	Crestfallen

**Author's Note:**

> One-word prompt by @Lietolee. It's a thing that happened on twitter.

Baekhyun gives the vanilla cream inside the glass bowl a final whip, and swipes a finger into the final product for a taste.

'Perfect.'

'It's been perfect since I finished making it about 10 minutes ago, Baekhyun.' Kyungsoo's head pops out from the metal door frame that connects the kitchen to the front of the cafe, and he's not happy with what he's seeing.

'It's not a bad thing to ensure the quality of the frostings before we put them on our cupcakes. After all, this is what we're known for,' Baekhyun replies with a smug grin on his face, and Kyungsoo tries his hardest not to throw the broomstick he's holding towards his business partner. He also wants to avoid destroying his beloved kitchen as well. He can find another Baekhyun, but a complete set of an industrial kitchen only comes once into your life, or so his mentor once told him.

'What is taking Yixing so long by the way? We just need a few cartons of fresh milk and eggs for today,' he grumbles as he leans the broomstick against the wall next to the chiller. Baekhyun who is now moving on to QCing the freshly baked cupcakes from the oven just shrugs before wolfing down two pieces of said dessert at once.

'Ish not urgshen. We shtill haf some from yester--' chokes, swallows, breathes. 'Phew that's a mouthful. As I was saying, we still have some from yesterday to for the opening today.'

But you were the one who acted like it was the end on the world earlier, pushing that poor Chinese student part-timer to get those stuff before we open, is what Kyungsoo would like to say, but he is so utterly disgusted with Baekhyun's belch after that to care about anything else.

Right at this moment, the back door that leads into the kitchen swings open, and Yixing is standing there with an armful of milk cartons and eggs threatening to fall from their cases.

'Speak of the devil and he's here,' they say in unison, and Yixing looks a little dumbfounded with the stares he's getting from his bosses. Besides that, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo also notice that he's a bit out of breath.

'Uhm, he's back.' he says with haggard breathing, and Baekhyun seems to be mesmerised with Yixing's cheeks that got red because of the cold morning air so it is up to Kyungsoo to enquire their part timer a little bit further with his statement.

'The devil you mean?'

Or he just wants to mess with Yixing, too.

'What? No! Why would-- forget it. Th-the Cupcake Gremlin! He's at the front door!' Yixing tries not to yell through his speech, and he thinks he barely made it. Kyungsoo still thinks he was shrieking though.

It's a good thing that he still hasn't turn on the lights within the lounge area of the cafe; just the two desk lamps at the back of the bar where the syrups for Baekhyun's frappes menu are placed and the one next to the register. He thought about turning on the pastries chiller's light earlier, but that would signal the passersby as if they're already open for the day since the lighting is quite intense. On the other side of the cafe where the main entrance is still locked with the sign 'Closed' still has yet to be turned around, a pale face behind a pair of thick glasses is peeking into the dark premise, looking for any signs of life within.

'I thought you said he was dead!' Baekhyun seethes through his teeth, smacking Kyungsoo's surprisingly broad back multiple times. Yixing is silently standing next to them, nervously biting his fingernails so intensely it might bleed once he's done with them.

'Well, I said I saw the cops went into his apartment building and came out carrying a dead body with the same old white Adidas he owns...' Kyungsoo tries to sound convincing but after contemplating it, he decides that it is best to just let it go.

'I can hear you guys whispering back there!' the Gremlin suddenly yells, surprising a couple of old ladies who are taking their morning walk with their dogs nearby.

'And that... I'm not dead! So open up!'

All three of them turn their heads back to the steaming, delicious still sans frostings cupcakes with a sad look in their eyes, and sigh.

*

Let's give you guys a backstory.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are business partners. They have a small cafe together. It's not a huge, franchised cafe; they both agreed on having sort of a mom-and-pop kind of cafe where customers come for the good coffee and desserts, actually chat with people (since they don't have Wi-Fi installed) and then leave with a happy feeling.

A couple years back, when they first opened the cafe, coincidentally Kyungsoo had perfected his cupcakes recipe, and while it did not become a viral trend like how most hipster desserts are nowadays, it became sort of like a legendary cheap dessert for the academic crowds who frequent the cafe. Thanks to the Cupcake Gremlin.

The gremlin is not an actual supernatural entity; his name is Kim Junmyeon. He's an undergraduate of Economics at the university 20 minutes away by walking from the cafe. He's known around the campus for having a pretty face yet strong arms and ninja-like ability to appear and disappear at places any time he wants.

So how did this gremlin sneaked his way into their business, you ask?

Almost a year ago, when their cupcakes popularity among the local crowds was waning, Baekhyun came up with an absurd idea to hype the product back up: a cupcake-eating contest.

'The first person to finish 100 cupcakes WITH FROSTINGS under half an hour will get the first batch of freshly baked signature cupcakes every time they come in the early morning, for the rest of their life for free!' Kyungsoo can still recall the excitement in Baekhyun's voice when he said that during a closing time a year prior. He still feel like slapping the mouth out of Baekhyun to this day for suggesting that.

'Just make the ones for the challenge super dry and super spongey so they're gonna be hard to swallow. And no drinks allowed during the process.' Baekhyun did try to soften the physical and mental blow he might receive from the mere suggestion he gave. Kyungsoo didn't do any harm to him, don't worry. But he did stab Baekhyun 100 times inside his dreams for the next few days.

And just to make sure that they are not going to lose money over this, Kyungsoo came up with plan B, just in case someone did complete the challenge (they didn't know Kim Junmyeon exist at this point of time). His plan B was a list of petty, miniscule rules that would apply to the winner, and he's not ashamed to use them.

'The prize only valid if I, the winner, comes in within 30 minutes after the first batch of cupcakes is done, which is almost always at 8.10 in the morning. And I can't move to other district and still claiming it or it'll be rendered invalid. And I can't have takeaways. And I can't share it with my friends. And i can't have drinks while I'm eating them here, in this cafe, so I'll have to eat them slowly so i won't choke.' Kim Junmyeon counts the rules with one hand while the other is busy stuffing his face with said desserts.

'I made the rules and even I think they were petty enough to demotivate a person. But even those rules can't stop you, huh.' Kyungsoo interjects, annoyed at Junmyeon's blissful face as he licks his frosting-covered fingers.

'Nothing can come between me and free food, Manager Kyungsoo.' Junmyeon places his hands on Kyungsoo's shoulders, and the latter can't help but grimaces as he catches a glimpse of those fingers slicking with saliva.

'Why weren't you here last week by the way?'

'Oh, is that why you guys thought I was dead?' Junmyeon asks non-chalantly as he makes his way to the counter and orders a medium-sized piping hot Americano from Yixing. Baekhyun notices the filled up discount card Junmyeon fished out from his back pocket earlier, and sends apologetic looks towards Kyungsoo who is still standing and watching the gremlin.

One wonders how such a person lives on a pocketful of discounts and still survive to this day.

'Pretty much, yeah. Also because Manager saw cops taking out a dead man from your apartment building,' it's Yixing's turn to reply as he hands Junmyeon his drinks and another discount card. Baekhyun glares murderously at Yixing for that mindless gesture and it is a little too late for them to take the card back from Junmyeon now that he's placed it safely in his pocket.

'Oh. That's my neighbour, Steve. Well, I don't really know his name so I just decided to call him Steve and he never corrected me. So Steve was a great guy, he was. But his death was so sad. They found his body a few days after his death, choked on a whole unchewed piece of KFC chicken nugget. Talk about gluttony, amirite?' he solemnly laughs, and both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo can see Yixing is so confused as to why a guy who just ate at least 20 pieces of cupcakes under 15 minutes by himself would associate other's death with... Eating too much.

They both hope Yixing won't ask anything out of curiosity over the subject of discussion so the cheapskate gremlin can leave the cafe at least for the day. Thank god he doesn't.

'Okay, but that doesn't explain why you were gone the whole week last week. Not that we were waiting for you; if anything we were glad that you--anyway, what happened?' Baekhyun's voice went a pitch higher just now and Yixing has to bite his lower lip to stop himself from laughing.

'Ah.' Junmyeon says, and nothing else. He looks at his watch and starts to panic.

'He-he's... Umm I-I have to go now! See you guys tomorrow! Thanks for the cupcakes as always!' he yells as he rushes through the front door, picking his knapsack and jacket along the way. From the window the can see him turning left and disappears at the corner, before reappearing a few seconds later and takes the opposite route from where he was going earlier.

'What...?' Yixing starts, when he finally sees the person that Junmyeon might have been running away from.

'Good morning! Aren't you early today?' Kyungsoo greets his second (well, technically, first) customer for today with a pretty smile, and Yixing can only be jealous of this guy's face, hair, height, fashion sense, taste. Damn it. He should stop depressing himself and move along with his work.

'M-hmm. Say, Manager, the guy who was here just now--'

'Yeah. That zipper guy.'

'Been trying to get him for the past week now. Kept missing him, I'm not sure why.' The tall guy contemplates as he sits down at the bar.

_Ah... That's why the gremlin was missing for a week_ \-- the cafe's crew finally get their answer.

Yixing hands him his Americano even before he orders it, and he smiles as he returns it with the payment and a few extra notes for tips. Ah, what a lovely start for the morning. At this point everyone forgets about the cheapskate gremlin and his coupons, except for Kyungsoo.

'Why? Do you want revenge?'

'...Can I?'

*

The Cupcake Gremlin, Kim Junmyeon isn't particularly a bad guy. If Kyungsoo had to describe him in a neutral manner, then he would say that Kim Junmyeon is a bit of a hustler. It's just so happen that they crossed path, and on this path you can say that their interests are on the opposite sides.

'I can't tell you when he's coming, but I can tell you that he's almost always here on weekdays for the free cupcakes. Every. Damn. Morning.' Kyungsoo tries not to put his palms together in front of his face and laugh maniacally like how villains would, but anyone who sees his expression would definitely acknowledge that his part in this serious conversation this morning with Mr. Wu Yifan is not as a protagonist.

Yixing shudders when he accidentally glances over to the table as he hands the change to the girl who might have been swooning a little over him; too bad Yixing's focus is nowhere to be found near him.

'Okay. Do it.'

'You sure? This is gonna be for two weeks, and that's a lot of cupcakes.'

Yifan lets out a chuckle so deep and mysterious that it sends shivers down Kyungsoo's spine.

'As long as those cupcakes aren't going to be his.'

*

So yeah, Kim Junmyeon isn't a bad guy per se, but he's bad for business, so he's bad for Kyungsoo too. Baekhyun had told him that sometimes his pettiness can go out of hand, and Yixing had cluck his tongue when he executed whatever he was planning with Wu Yifan the next morning.

'Sorry, Junmyeon. Someone bought the entire first batch for today, so there's no free cupcakes for you.' Kyungsoo's face is apologetic but his voice isn't. The heartbreak is real in the gremlin's eyes when he hears the news.

'B-but that's not part of the rules!' Junmyeon argues, but Kyungsoo is prepared for this. Oh yes, he is. So he pulls out the arm's length list of rules from the drawer underneath the register, skims through them for a moment and stops when he reaches rule Number 11.

'There, it says "the prize will be revoked for the day if another customer, who is not the winner of the challenge, buys the first batch of the signature cupcakes before the winner's arrival at the cafe."' he reads calmly, and then looks up to Junmyeon again. He might have been too high on euphoria to see it clearly but Junmyeon looks like he's about to cry.

'This rule was never mentioned before!' he retorts.

'Because no one has ever done it before. This customer is the first to do so.' Kyungsoo counters.

'...Who's this bastard? What's his name? I just wanna talk.'

'I can't tell you...' Kyungsoo takes another look at the gremlin's face, and sees murder between his brows. '...for safety reasons.' he finishes.

'Okay. Okay! Just for today right? I'll be here early tomorrow. Because nothing can come between me and free food! Mark my word!' he proclaims in a strange heroic manner, then saunters out of the cafe, bumping into the door and cursing as he walks out.

Kyungsoo laughs, maniacally this time, and Yixing and Baekhyun are not going to cross him when he's already like that in the morning.

*

Chanyeol is holding the signature cupcake in his hand when Junmyeon finally arrives at the lecture hall.

'...where did you get that? This early in the morn--WHO GAVE YOU THAT? DID YOU BUY IT YOURSE--' other people in the lecture hall should be worried for Chanyeol's safety as Junmyeon wraps his fingers around the tall guy's neck, but it's a normal thing to see in the morning when your classmate is Kim Junmyeon, so they're not going to even bother about it.

'Calm down! Everyone's eating it, see? Mr Wu dropped by earlier with a box of them and said that it's on him.' poor Chanyeol is trying to get his composure back, he doesn't see the fire that's literally flaring out lf Junmyeon's nostrils.

'That son of a bi--'

End.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried. I really tried. Also, this somehow becomes a continuation of that one previous story. You know which one.


End file.
